Denver cornerback Talib suspended one game for eye poke

Nov 9 (Reuters) - Denver Broncos cornerback Aqib Talib has been suspended one game by the National Football League for poking an opponent in the eye, the league announced on Monday.

Talib plans to appeal, and unless successful he will miss Sunday's game against division rival Kansas City Chiefs.

The Pro Bowler received the one-match ban for an incident late in Sunday's loss to Indianapolis, when he poked Colts tight end Dwayne Allen in the eye with two fingers, an act that was penalized for unnecessary roughness and may have cost the Broncos the game.

The Colts won 27-24 to inflict Denver's first loss of the season.

NFL Vice President of Football Operations Merton Hanks ruled that Talib's action placed his opponent at unnecessary risk of injury and should have been avoided.

But Talib says the eye poke was accidental.

"It was an honest mistake," he said, according to the Denver Post.

"From my angle, I see (Allen) head-butt Von (Miller) a little bit. I went over to poke his head, and I think my hand slipped and hit his face. He acted like he got in an 18-passenger car wreck. I guess that's what type of guy he is."

Allen had a different opinion of the incident.

"It was a cheap shot. It's a very sad play man," he said. (Reporting by Andrew Both in Cary, North Carolina. Editing by Steve Keating.)